All About Soft Bar, Now Open in Greenpoint

1. You won’t find the word “mocktail” anywhere near Soft Bar.

“We don’t do mocktails,” Radke says. “We really wanted to redefine the non-alcoholic experience.”

The drink list at Soft Bar is filled with what they refer to as “soft cocktails.” To make the experience as luxe as possible, Radke turned to Richard Millwater, a former head bartender at Eleven Madison Park and bar manager at Clemente Bar and Studio to be Soft Bar’s beverage director.

“He’s an artist. He’s a craftsman,” Radke says of Millwater. “I told Richie, ‘Let’s take what you’re doing at EMP but elevate it even more with collagen, protein, vitamins, and electrolytes. What else can we do? What other creative ingredients can we use?’”

The menu is notated with symbols below each drink next to ingredients like rhodiola and maca root, and a key near the bottom explains their respective effects like “focus,” “vibey,” “calming/chill,” and “adaptogens”.

There’s the Golden Hour, made with Wilderton citrus aperitivo, Prima Pavé rosé Champagne, Fiji apple, orange, and pink peppercorn shrub (uplifting, vibey, and energizing), the Tonka Noir with Lyre’s coffee “liqueur,” mushroom cold brew, tonka, and sesame (focus), and The Greenhouse with Almave’s blanco agave spirit, tomato, Thai basil, and aquafaba (focus, vibey).

There will also be small bites and snacks at Soft Bar, some sourced from neighborhood bakeries and some made in-house. Expect to see pastries from Sixteen Mill, The Good Batch, and The Native Bread Co.

2. There’s equal focus on day and night.

One of the main draws of Soft Bar, the team says, is the all-day nature of both the space and the menu. Radke, who doesn’t consume coffee himself, has put exceptional care and attention to the space’s program, working with Antonia Petaccio, a coffee connoisseur who’s taken charge of the daytime drinks menu.

In addition to classic cups from Troy, N.Y. roasting company Touchy, there are more inventive takes like the Crimson Eclipse, with black cherry, vanilla bean, sparkling water, espresso, and a coconut honey cloud, or the Dark + Honeyed, served hot or iced, with dark cacao, whey protein, espresso, honeycomb, milk, and sea salt.

“The true background around our intentions with the coffee program was about marrying specialty coffee at every level of the supply chain with real quality ingredients in the adaptogenic world. We’re not skimping on quality anywhere as it pertains to the cafe menu,” Petaccio says.

The space was designed with both day and night in mind, with a special booth for patrons to take phone or video calls without having to step outside.

3. The team hopes it’ll be a true “third space.”

For Radke, Soft Bar fills a void in the industry for those who don’t want to consume or be around alcohol, but are looking to stay out later than most coffee shops are open.

“You can come in with your computer during the day and work. You could go on a date at night. You could meet your run club before or after. You could meet your girlfriends before going to Rule of Thirds across the street,” Radke says. “It’s more about creating a space that is serving amazing non-alcoholic beverages, and also a place where you could hang out.”

Inside, the space is industrial and intentionally designed. Because of the nature of the neighborhood and the fact that they didn’t need to secure a liquor license, Radke says they were able to make the bar look exactly the way they wanted.

There’s a long bar with velvet stools spanning the room, plus marble-topped bistro tables and half-booth seating. Exposed brick, absurdly high ceilings, and plush, curtain-surrounded couches lend to the arthouse feel.

“My biggest hope [was] that when you walk in the door, you say to yourself, ‘Oh, this is cool. I’d hang out here. I might still drink, but I’d come here,’” Radke says.

4. Community is key.

Soft Bar has plans to be a center for the community, the wellness community in particular, Radke says. They’re already in talks with groups like run clubs and authors to host events at the space, which may be better suited for certain causes than a traditional bar alternative.  Even on days that they close at 7 p.m., Radke says, they already have after-hours events planned.

It’s also more than just the bar — the team has their offices there, as well as a creative space for recording content and a podcast studio they’re leasing out to other creators.

“It’s a hub,” Radke says. “This is where non-alcoholic beverage comes to life.”

In the future, they say they hope to launch their own version of a canned soft cocktail, and maybe expand into additional cities.

Soft Bar + Cafe is open Sunday through Wednesday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy on Instagram, too.